The multiple-headed flowers on the fasciated (mutated) thistles are beginning to open and bloom. Some of the deformed flowers are just double-headed but one shown here seems to have about ten conjoined flower heads with the purple petals making an almost complete circle. The thistles with the distorted and deformed stems and flowers only occur on one side of the path from Charlton Down to Charminster. I don’t know why that should be so.
Jessica's Nature Blog 
Wow – these certainly are different. Thanks for sharing these blooming thistles. It is quite unusual that they only do this on one side of the path. Nature is a mystery.
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Glad the fasciated thistles you have been watching came into full flower – they are so odd-looking.
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I love the colour of thistles!
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This is interesting. Given what you said about only one side of the path it makes me think of pesticide or the like.
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Thank you, Peggy.
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Thank you, Andy. The biggest of the distorted flowerheads is yet to bloom so I will keep visiting because I am curious about how they will turn out.
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Yes, A beautiful colour, and it seems to vary from species to species.
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Apparently there are several suggested causes of this mutation, for example, some kind of chemical effect, a virus or bacterial infection, or perhaps a genetic source. Something is creating a cluster of affected plants in one particular location. But, without a proper scientific investigation, we are just left to speculate.
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